ABC's "The Bachelor" Hits Season Highs/"Castle" Scores Top Number in Nearly 4 Months

Some early info on ABC's Monday, ahead of the regular press release.

ABC took first place on Monday evening in Adults 18-49. In addition, the Net finished #1 on Monday for the 5th week in a row across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· ABC produced its biggest Monday in 3 months among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 - since 11/22/10. The Net hit a 4-month Monday high with Adults 18-34 - since 10/25/10.

Gaining audience throughout its broadcast and hitting a season-high, ABC's The Bachelor won its time slot among Adults 18-49, beating out CBS' comedy block and Fox's drama block (House/The Chicago Code). The Bachelor continued to win its 2-hour time period among Adults 18-34 (4th consecutive week) and registered as Monday's #1 TV series overall with key Women (W18-34/W18-49) for the 8th week running.

· Surging week to week in Total Viewers (+11%) and Adults 18-49 (+14%), The Bachelor posted season-high results on both Nielsen measures.

During the 10 o'clock hour against original drama competition on CBS (Hawaii Five-0) and NBC (Harry's Law), ABC's Castle ran in a virtual-tie for #1 with Hawaii Five-0 among Adults 18-49 (pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point). The ABC drama beat out its competitors with Adults 18-34 and won the hour with Women 18-34 for its 5th straight telecast. In addition, ABC's Castle continued to draw more overall viewers than Harry's Law and defeated the NBC drama by a best-ever margin of 53% in Adults 18-49.

· Jumping 18% over the prior week, ABC's Castle posted its highest-rated telecast since the beginning of November - since 11/1/10.

Quick Take for Monday, February 21, 2011 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Leads Monday Night Among Adults 18-49, Registering its Strongest Numbers in Total Viewers and Young Adults Since November

Hitting Season Highs, "The Bachelor" Surges Week to Week by 11% in Total Viewers and by 14% in Adults 18-49 to Rank No. 1 in its Time Period in both Measures

ABC's "Castle" Defeats NBC's "Harry's Law" by a Best-Ever 53% in Adults 18-49, Posting its Highest-Rated Young Adult Telecast in Over 3 Months

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC took first place on Monday evening in Adults 18-49. In addition, the Net finished No. 1 on Monday for the 5th week in a row across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· ABC produced its biggest Monday in 3 months among Total Viewers (9.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.1/8) - since 11/22/10. The Net hit a 4-month Monday high with Adults 18-34 (2.6/8) - since 10/25/10.

"The Bachelor" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

Gaining audience throughout its broadcast and hitting a season high, ABC's "The Bachelor" won its time slot among Adults 18-49 (3.3/9), beating out CBS' comedy block (3.1/8) and Fox's drama block (2.8/7 - "House"/"The Chicago Code"). "The Bachelor" continued to win its 2-hour time period among Adults 18-34 (4th consecutive week) and registered as Monday's No. 1 TV series overall with key Women (W18-34/W18-49) for the 8th week running.

· Surging week to week in Total Viewers (+11% -10.3 million vs. 9.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+14% - 3.3/9 vs. 2.9/8), "The Bachelor" posted season-high results on both Nielsen measures.

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

During the 10 o'clock hour against original drama competition on CBS ("Hawaii Five-0") and NBC ("Harry's Law"), ABC's "Castle" (2.6/7) ran in a virtual tie for No. 1 with "Hawaii Five-0" (2.7/7) among Adults 18-49 (pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point). The ABC drama beat out its competitors with Adults 18-34 (1.8/6) and won the hour with Women 18-34 (2.4/7) for its 5th straight telecast. In addition, ABC's "Castle" continued to draw more overall viewers (9.0 million vs. 8.7 million) than "Harry's Law" and defeated the NBC drama by a best-ever margin of 53% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 1.7/5).

· Jumping 18% over the prior week, ABC's "Castle" posted its highest-rated telecast in Adults 18-49 since the beginning of November - since 11/1/10.

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 39% currently, from 35% at the same point in 2010. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 2/21/11.